Recently, Congressman Mike Coffman’s campaign produced an ad that manipulates a quote from me for political gain.

I don’t approve of that ad, the use of my name, or of Coffman’s 25-year history of anti-immigrant policies. In fact, I strongly support Coffman’s opponent, Andrew Romanoff, in the race for Colorado’s 6th Congressional District.

The Coffman team’s ad quotes an opinion piece I co-authored four years ago about immigration policy and my criticisms of the 2006 special session of the Colorado legislature. That year, Coffman sided with Republican extremists when they proposed a constitutional amendment in the form of a ballot measure that would have made it a felony for our immigrant neighbors to access public services, including emergency room care in the event of a health emergency. As most Coloradans don’t plan to bring a birth certificate to the ER after a car crash or heart attack, this policy would have had a devastating impact on all Coloradans, not just immigrants.

As speaker of the Colorado House at the time, Romanoff was faced with the choice of doing nothing and allowing many Coloradans to be denied emergency room care or finding an option to prevent an incredibly heinous law from being enshrined in our constitution. He fought to keep this measure off of the ballot by brokering a compromise during the special legislative session. This compromise made Colorado law consistent with federal law, which denied certain public services to undocumented immigrants with exceptions for children, public health and safety.

While I don’t agree with the bills that were passed, I understand why the deal was made.

Despite Romanoff’s best intentions, the policies that passed into law had unintended consequences for many Colorado families. I’ve committed my career to helping correct those mistakes and am proud of the work of Colorado’s Democrats who have paved the way for our immigrant neighbors to fully integrate into our society. Now, as a state senator representing part of Adams County, I have new insight on what happened in 2006 and the tough decisions that our legislators must make to prevent future harm.

Romanoff is the only candidate in the 6th CD race who has stood up for the issues that Colorado’s working families and immigrant communities value. While in the legislature, he championed bills that increased access to education and health care for all Coloradans, and he fought back against extreme anti-immigrant policies. Romanoff is a strong and common-sense voice in the fight for comprehensive immigration reform.

Coffman, despite a recent change in rhetoric, has not been a supporter of immigrants’ rights or immigration reform. While his talking points have changed, his actions have not. Throughout his 25-year political career, Coffman has espoused radical, anti-immigrant views. When elected to Congress, he vowed to continue the fight of Tom Tancredo (whom he called his “hero”) against aspiring Americans and their dream of becoming U.S. citizens. He co-sponsored a bill that would remove the constitutional guarantee of citizenship to children born in the U.S. to immigrant parents, and he reaffirmed his support for that position only nine short months ago.

Not only did Coffman vote against the DREAM Act, he also said it would be a “nightmare for the American people” in an official press release. And in the last year alone, he has voted twice to dismantle the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program and to restart the deportation of about 800,000 children who are eligible for the DREAM Act. He also led a crusade to purge eligible voters with Hispanic surnames from the voter rolls in 2008 while he was secretary of state.

These actions tell us that Coffman has never been and will never be a friend to Colorado’s newest arrivals. It’s understandable that he would begin pandering to Latinos and immigrants now that he represents Colorado’s most ethnically diverse congressional district. However, voters in the 6th Congressional District are smart enough to see that the distortion of my words by Coffman’s campaign is meant solely to gain votes in a tight election.